Caitlin Smith

LeADERS Reflection

Academic Field

My leaders courses provided great knowledge for a pre-service teacher like

myself. I truly believe my instructors in these courses were highly qualified and their

passion inspires students to achieve. My leaders courses provided opportunities and

learning for becoming a better educator. For my service-learning requirement, I

completed the ARTS 305 course. ARTS 305 is a course regarding elementary classroom

management and the incorporation of art into the classroom. This course opened my eyes

to how important it is to balance different types of curriculums and instruction into the

classroom. Students deserve a variety of methods in order to best learn. This course also

allowed me to have multiple educational experiences at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk.

It taught me the importance of educational field trips as supplemental material for

students. I also completed SPED 406 as my requirement for leaders diversity. SPED 406

covered legal aspects and diversity of special learners. As a special education minor, this

course allowed me to further my knowledge of special education aspects. Special

education is becoming increasingly important as medical and health improvements

continue. Every child is entitled to a free and equal education. SPED 406 taught me the

importance of advocating for and understanding my students. One of my immediate

family members is on the autism spectrum scale. I feel that SPED 406 allowed me to

combine my personal knowledge along with my professional knowledge. As a future

teacher, I will use my personal growth along with my educational growth to provide the

best education possible to a variety of diverse learners. My third and final course I

completed for the leaders program was TLED 301. TLED 301 allowed me to have my
first experience in a public classroom while attending Old Dominion. I completed a

thirty-hour observation in a second grade classroom at a local elementary school. This

was a great opportunity for me to become comfortable meeting other teachers and

engaging in a classroom. I believe observations are a great way for future teachers to

begin their classroom experiences. I used my experience from TLED 301 to help me this

semester as I completed two practicums totaling 110 hours in a fifth grade and a second

grade classroom. My experiences in classrooms, whether it is observations or practicums,

have reinforced my belief that teaching is truly my calling. I am looking forward to

furthering my education and beginning my professional career.

Application of Skills

I believe all my experiences in my leaders courses provided me with personal

growth. I was able to learn how to collaborate with others and communicate effectively.

All of these courses required me to work with my peers, superiors, and students in

classrooms. I enjoy listening and understanding other viewpoints. A big component of

teaching is exhibiting compassion and understanding for a wide variety of students. I also

had to development strong time management skills in order to balance my academic

schedule, working part time, and social groups. Time management is so vital while

balancing a full time college schedule. I also had opportunities in my courses to

participate in mock interviews. I believe these experiences helped prepare me for the

professional world and interview process in the near future. A challenge I faced

throughout my courses would be balancing the many requirements during my courses. As

I stated, I had to develop strong time management skills. When I was first starting

college, I did not have said skills developed quite as well as I should have. At times, I
would feel as though I was drowning in my schoolwork and extracurricular requirements

on top of working part time. I really learned through trial and error of how to balance and

succeed. Short term, I worked with my professors and peers to help me better understand

my assignments and how to complete them. Collaborating with others is key for success

particularly in college courses. I also believe I will continue to effectively collaborate

throughout my professional career. In the future, as a teacher, I will have to have

excellent time management skills in order to operate a classroom smoothly and

effectively. Through my experiences, I continue to development and fine tune the skills

necessary to be an effective teacher. Following my undergraduate graduation, I will be

pursuing my Masters of Education here at ODU. I will have to continue balance my

educational and personal life throughout graduate school in order to succeed. My

knowledge from my courses will continue to help me in my graduate school courses.

While graduate school courses will be much more difficult, I believe I have great base

knowledge from my leaders courses during my undergraduate time. For example, I will

be taking a higher-level special education course related to legal aspects of special

education. My leaders course in SPED 406 introduced me to the essential topics and legal

aspects of special education. I will also be completing a 150-hour practicum next

semester. TLED 301 introduced me to the public classroom and allowed me to feel

comfortable entering a new teaching environment. I will use that experience throughout

my next practicum experience. I also feel I have grown so much in terms of balancing my

personal and educational life throughout my undergraduate experience. As a master’s

student, I will be balancing an even more hectic schedule. I feel my growth will help me

continue to deal with new pressures, experiences, and managing my time. Overall, my
leaders courses provided a truly one of a kind experience. I am excited to continue my

education here at Old Dominion and to one day begin my professional teaching career.